The storage of guns in a vehicle has long been a problem both from a standpoint of safety and convenience. Guns which are not fixedly connected to some portion of the vehicle present a particular safety hazard along with guns that are mounted in the so-called "window rack" that is used in pickup trucks and other cab vehicles. In placing a gun in a vehicle without support or placing a gun in a window rack, it is necessary that the muzzle be pointed into the cab or toward the person positioning the gun. When held in a window rack the gun is in a horizontal position and if advertently discharged could injure a passing motorist or be discharged into a building and the like.
Other racks have been proposed for carrying weapons in a vehicle. The most pertinent of which is Whittaker, U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,363. This patent overcame any of the prior art problems and consists of a two-piece rack for holding rifles, shotguns and the like. The rack contains a butt rest and a pivotal arm having an adjustable clamp, which clamp provides a means for holding the gun in a set position. The clamp has to be bolted into one of the holes along the length of the pivot arm depending upon the length of the gun being held. The clamp consists of a spring steel clip which, while functioning well, for its purposes has certain disadvantages. For example, a sudden jolt or other exertion of pressure on the clip can cause the gun to be released from the clip. The clip can also be "sprung" or otherwise lose its resiliency so that it cannot be used for its intended purpose. Additionally, it is well known that the circumference of a gun barrel may vary greatly according to the gun with most barrels varying in size from a 22 caliber rifle to a 12 gauge shotgun thereby making it impractical for one clip to universally accommodate all guns.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a gun rack that will fit on the inside door of a vehicle, and that will universally support all shotguns, rifles and the like of any conventional length.
It is another object to provide a gun rack which will snugly hold the gun in position, but will not damage the finish of the gun.
It is another object of this invention to provide a gun rack wherein guns can be safely positioned therein, and removed therefrom, and still, at all times be conveniently available for quick use.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a gun rack wherein guns of any caliber can be conveniently held without the need to resort to repositioning of a clip in order to fixedly hold the gun.
These and other objects may be accomplished by means of an adjustable butt rest that is adapted to be secured to the lower portion of the door and is rotatable about a horizontal axis, but which can be fixed in any degree of rotation by means of interengaging fluted surfaces. The second portion of the invention includes an arm that has one end adapted to be secured to the upper portion of the lower door panel and which may be rotated about a horizontal axis and secured in any given position by means of interlocking fluted surfaces. The other end of the arm contains barrel engaging means consisting of an elastic band or cord secured to one side of the arm and which may be wound around the barrel of the gun and secured by engaging means on the other side of the arm. A shim may be needed for proper vertical alignment of either the butt rest or arm attachment plates to the door. Also, cylindrical spacers fluted on both sides may be interposed between the interlocking fluted surfaces on either the arm or butt rest to enable a gun inserted in the rack to clear door knobs, door handle or arm rest.
The novel features of this invention both as to the manner of construction or organization as well as the operation thereof will be better understood with reference to the following description and drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the description and drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to be a definition as to the scope of this invention.